Aaron Hensley doesn’t know what makes him interesting.

That is, until he really begins to think it through. “I’m not really an average guy,” he said contemplatively. “I run. No one really likes running. I’m hardworking; I like to have fun – just whatever I’m feeling. And I’m a joker. I love making people laugh.”

He has no plans to become a comedian, however. Hensley has a bad case of stage fright. “It’s ok if I know everyone, but if I don’t, I’m always the quiet guy,” he said.
But Hensley is definitely not the quiet guy when it comes to cross country.

The 19-year-old sophomore made a great sacrifice this season when he completely altered his running style with the help of new cross country and track coach, Matt Hart.

“When we were all running at the beginning of the season, we didn’t really look like runners,” he said. “We weren’t moving our hips enough. Matt taught me how to move my hips more, rather than my knees, and I also learned that I was running too much on my heels when I should have been more on my toes. (The changes) have given me a little more spring when I run.”

In no way a newcomer to the sport, Hensley has been competing in cross country and track since his freshman year at Central Catholic High School in Portland. After six years with the same running style, it was a difficult transition for him to change so drastically. But, as he said of his coach, “Matt knows what he’s doing,” and the transformation has worked to help Hensley compete at a more optimum level on the trails. He has performed consistently as the man who usually comes in third place behind Alex Domiquez-Morales and Alex Boyles, during competition. And with the season coming to an end Saturday, following the NWAACC championships in Battle Ground, Wash., his goal was to finish the season by beating his personal record, but most of all, “by passing one of the Alexs.” (Results for meet not available).

Hensley began running to meet new people, but he eventually got really into the sport and decided to stick with it. He said his favorite thing about running is the competition. “I love going to meets and competing against other people,” he added, excitement echoing in his voice.

The self-proclaimed non-partier (or partier, depending on when he’s asked) decided to pursue his education and compete for Mt. Hood because of a number of reasons. For one thing, his high school coaches spoke highly of the Saints’ track program, and he also received a recruiting letter in the mail from MHCC when he was only a sophomore. But the main reason he chose Mt. Hood was because he was unsure about what he wanted to major in, and he didn’t want to waste money by going to a university before he truly knew what he wanted to do. But with only two terms left until he is eligible to transfer, Hensley is still unsure of what route he wants to take in life. The closest he has come to a decision surrounds an interest in writing, specifically magazine journalism. “I can see myself doing it,” he said. “It just seems like really interesting work.”

When Hensley is not in training or running for cross country or track (mostly during the winter months when it “lightens up a lot”) or thinking about his major, he enjoys snowboarding, camping and hanging out with his friends. A fan of the snow sports, he has been snowboarding for nearly six years and was a member of the ski club when he was in high school.

Hensley also enjoys listening to music when he has spare time, pretty much every kind, but his group of interest at the moment is The Roots. He saw the underground hip-hop group in concert Tuesday night, and said it was a great show, definitely better than the last show he saw. He went to see Harvey Danger in concert about two weeks ago for a class and said it was “the worst concert I ever saw.” Hensley may not get the chance to go to many shows throughout the year, but when he does fit one into his busy schedule, in between training time and practice, he knows what he likes to see and the Danger concert was by far not it.
When Hensley isn’t hitting the trails or seeing bad shows, he enjoys relaxing with a good comedy movie. In fact, he owns an extensive collection of about 30 comedies that include two of his favorites, “Without a Paddle” and the “Lords of Dogtown” (both he calls classics).

After he finishes his transfer degree at Mt. Hood, Hensley doesn’t know where he will end up, or whether or not he will even continue competing in track and cross country. “I don’t really see myself competing at a university,” he said. “It’s my sixth year doing it and it just takes up so much time.”